For men searching for their roots
What is the most important mitzvah?
If you are finding your way back to Judaism, it is a natural question. The honest answer starts with the very first Jew — and the very first mitzvah he was given.
Every mitzvah matters
Our sages taught that we should be as careful with a mitzvah that seems small as with one that seems great, because we do not know the true value of each one (Pirkei Avos 2:1). So there is no simple list ranking one above another.
If you have lit Shabbos candles, put on tefillin, said Shema or given tzedakah, you have already connected. Each mitzvah is a door back in.
The first mitzvah given to the first Jew
But one mitzvah stands at the very beginning. When G-d made His covenant with Avraham, the first Jew, the sign of that covenant was bris milah: “This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you” (Bereishis 17:10).
The word bris itself means covenant. For close to four thousand years, from Avraham until today, Jewish men have carried that sign — father to son, generation after generation.
The mitzvah Jews would not give up
The Talmud teaches that the mitzvos Jews were willing to give their lives for, like bris milah, are the ones they still hold firmly (Shabbos 130a).
History proved it again and again. In the Soviet Union, where a bris could cost a man his job or his freedom, families still arranged them in secret, in apartments, late at night. Many could not. If you are one of the men whose parents were never able to, the chain was not broken by choice — and it can be restored.
If you never had a bris
You are not too late. Avraham himself had his bris at the age of 99. Men in their seventies and eighties have had theirs. For an adult it is done under local anesthesia, after a medical review, with complete privacy — you can read more on Is it too late for me?
You do not have to wait until you feel “religious enough.” For many men, the bris is where their return begins. And nobody is turned away over money; when needed, a sponsor covers the cost.
If your circumcision was done in a hospital, or you are not sure how it was done, see Not sure your circumcision was done properly?
Short answers
What is the most important mitzvah in Judaism?
Our sages taught not to rank mitzvos, and to be as careful with a seemingly small one as with a great one. But bris milah holds a unique place: it was the first mitzvah given to Avraham, the first Jew, and it is called the covenant itself.
What was the first mitzvah given to Avraham?
Bris milah. G-d commanded Avraham to circumcise himself and his descendants as the sign of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people (Bereishis 17).
I never had a bris. Is it too late?
No. Avraham himself had his bris at the age of 99. Men of every age have a bris today, under local anesthesia and with complete privacy.
I am just starting to reconnect with Judaism. Should I wait?
There is no need to wait until you feel ready in every other way. Many men find that the bris is where their return begins. A private conversation is a good first step.
Ready to take the first step?
One private conversation. It costs nothing, commits you to nothing, and stays between us.